Correct a ##### error

This error indicates that a column is not wide enough to display all of its content, or that a negative date or time is used in a cell.

Symptom

Microsoft Excel displays ##### in one or more cells on a worksheet.

Causes

The column is not wide enough to display the content.

Dates and times are negative numbers.

Resolution

Increase the width of the column to fit the text by doing the following:

Select the column by clicking the column header.

On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.

Under Cell Size, click AutoFit Column Width.

Shrink the text size of the contents to fit the column by doing the following:

Select the column by clicking the column header.

On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click the Dialog Box Launcher
next to Alignment.

Under Text control, select the Shrink to fit check box.

Apply a different number or date format.

In some cases, you can change the number or date format of a cell to make its contents fit within the existing cell width. For example, you can decrease the number of decimal places after the decimal point or switch from a Long Date to a Short Date format.

If you are using the 1900 date system, dates and times in Microsoft Excel must be positive values.

When you subtract dates and times, make sure that you build the formula correctly.

If a formula that you use to calculate dates or times is correct but results in a negative value, do the following to display that value in a format that is not a date or time format:

On the Home tab, in the Number group, click the Dialog Box Launcher
next to Number.

In the Category box, click a number format that is not a date or time format.